Surgical laser devices or systems supply energy from a laser source, through such energy delivery systems as optical fiber delivery systems or waveguides like articulated arms, to the tissue of a patient. In a number of cases, a probe is connected to the distal end of the energy delivery system to facilitate the delivery of concentrated therapeutic energy to the tissue being treated.
Storage devices to house and dispense surgical catheters are well known in the art. These devices generally provide a protective covering for fragile and expensive surgical catheters. Some such devices highlight a storage function; others are specialized to dispense the encased catheter during an operation; still others are designed to perform both functions. Moreover, such devices can be designed to house a variety of different catheter types.
However, the devices known in the art suffer from a multitude of shortcomings.
Whereas surgical catheters come in a variety of lengths, many housing devices can only accommodate catheters of specific lengths. This specificity prevents such devices from being used with longer or shorter catheter lengths.
Another problem suffered by many catheter storage devices is that, when the catheter is removed from the housing, the catheter becomes tangled or kinked. This can make it difficult to handle the catheter with the precision required for surgical operations. Moreover, damage to the catheter can result from severe kinking.
Because the housing device will inevitably come into contact with the catheter itself, it is imperative that the housing be kept aseptic. Prior art housing devices, however often contain the catheters in narrow, hard-to-reach compartments. This construction makes it difficult to access storage areas and perform sterilization procedures.
While such housing apparatuses have been introduced for virtually every variety of surgical catheter, few if any have been designed for the storage and dispensing of optical laser fibers.
Laser devices or systems that have been designed for use in contact with tissue generally include a fiber optical cable affixed to a laser energy delivery system. Such devices offer a number of advantages over free-beam energy delivery systems: they significantly reduce the waste arising from the backscatter of laser energy from the tissue; they define a clear and precise area of irradiation; they protect the optical fiber or other energy delivery system from fouling; and they provide tactile feedback to the surgeon. Perhaps most importantly, the probe may be treated to absorb or scatter laser energy, or both, such that both radiated photonic energy and conducted thermal energy can be delivered to the tissue.
Optical laser fibers however are fragile and break easily. Housing units that are not constructed of light-tight material allow laser light to escape in the event of breakage, inadvertent firing and unreliable transmission.
Accordingly, housing systems designed for other types of surgical catheters are not generally suitable for use with optic fibers.
Surgical laser devices or systems supply energy from a laser source, through such energy delivery systems as fiber optical delivery systems or waveguides like articulated arms, to the tissue of a patient. In a number of cases, a probe is connected to the distal end of the energy delivery system to facilitate the delivery of concentrated therapeutic energy to the tissue being treated. From a general perspective, surgical laser devices or systems may be divided into two categories: those that are designed for use in contact with tissue, and those that are designed for use without contact with tissue.
The fiber optic components of the laser delivery systems are both expensive and fragile. It is not an uncommon problem during surgery that the laser fiber may break or become contaminated, resulting in an undue expense and frustration. The current invention seeks to rectify the aforementioned potential problems, and allow the user to protect the optical laser fiber, during the course of a medical procedure.